


The Luthor and the Super That Saved the World

by sten06



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Kara POV, Lena Luthor Doesn't Know Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena POV, Lena luthor is the luthor that saves the world, Mostly canon with missing supercorp scenes, She suspects but is in denial, They're in love and figuring it out, finale fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 17:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11017722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sten06/pseuds/sten06
Summary: A 2.20/2.21/2.22 Finale "Fix-It"It seems only fitting that as the world crumbles down around them, Lena Luthor is the one to offer the key to save humanity.All Kara can hear in her head is Lena’s voice, over and over again telling her “I’ve never had friends like you before”Kara knows she’s never had one like Lena.Alternative POV between Lena & KaraMostly Canon Compliant with missing Supercorp ScenesKara is still dating Mon-El, but she works through her feelings as the invasion progressesStrongly in favor of Lena Luthor, as if that was ever any doubt.





	The Luthor and the Super That Saved the World

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this out of order because I'm ridiculous. Here is a finale fix it that sticks fairly close to canon, but supplements us with the missing Supercorp scenes, as well as NECESSARY Kara and Lena feelings, thoughts, emotions...
> 
> I had to watch one too many mon-el scenes to write this, so I'm going to need extra kudos, and perhaps several bottles of wine as a result.
> 
> Of Loss & Legacies is technically the epilogue/ending to this. <3

“Turn it off!” Kara yells, crashing through the ceiling, desperate to reach Rhea before she can do anymore harm. She is sure Lena doesn’t know what she has gotten into, and she is keen to prevent it from getting any worse than it already has.

She prays it isn’t too late. 

The knot in her stomach tells her it might be.

Lena’s face when Kara lands tells her it is.

The wide-eyed terror. Her forehead crinkled in disbelief. The shock of betrayal evident on every part of her body. 

_She has no idea what’s happening. She didn’t do this_.

Kara’s heart breaks for her friend, but she’s relieved, in a way, to find out Lena is still Lena.

Unequivocally and wholeheartedly good. And that’s the problem.

_While the rest of the world questions Lena’s intentions, and tries to poke holes through her nurturing facade, Kara becomes more convinced by the day that Lena couldn’t be more genuine, more loving, more selfless if she tried._

_It’s shown in all the little ways. Like when Kara stops by her office after a 4pm investor meeting, to find Lena bent over her paperwork, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, furiously writing and rewriting proposals._

_“Hey! I thought you just finished a meeting?” Kara asks softly, approaching her desk with caution, not wanting to interrupt._

_“Oh, I did, but they ripped me apart,” Lena scoffs, rolling her eyes, pushing away the hurt she inevitably always carries, “They aren’t interested in projects that are going to make the world a safer place, if it isn’t going to generate the right amount of revenue.”_

_Kara sits down across from her, and watches her face intently._

_“Are you going to scrap your idea? You were so excited about it…” Kara begins but Lena shakes her head._

_“No, I’m just going to position it differently. They can’t make me give up so quickly, no matter what they threaten me with” she smirks, and Kara beams at her. “I’ve dealt with worse.”_

_Kara nods, knowingly, and she stares at her in wonder, thinking how brave she really is._

_Kara -- or rather, Supergirl -- has also gotten in a routine of catching small moments with the younger Luthor._

_Lena has a bad habit of falling asleep in her office, her laptop on her lap, glasses on her face, surrounded by paperwork and empty glasses of wine. Kara can’t stand the thought of Lena always being alone, day in and day out, so she sometimes stops by when she sees the light on in her office well into the early morning hours._

_Some nights, if Lena is still awake, she lets Supergirl fly her home. It’s Kara’s favorite part of her day._

_“You’re starting to spoil me, Supergirl” Lena jokes, grinning into Kara’s neck as they take off into the night._

_Kara’s heart thumps against her chest, and she smiles and holds her protectively in her arms._

_On the nights Lena falls asleep, Kara comes in softly, and watches her for a moment. She studies her face, all calm and relaxed, relieved of all the tension she has to carry. Kara slowly removes her glasses, shuts her laptop, and gathers her papers -- research on climate change, and famine, and water purification instead of weapons and destruction -- and smiles as she stacks it on her desk._

_She wraps Lena in a blanket._

_The CEO stirs, her eyes still closed, and whispers, “Kara?”_

_Kara doesn’t respond, just kisses her forehead gently._

_“Sleep well, Lena”_

Kara turns to face her best friend, and sees the helpless look in her eyes.

“I can’t…” Lena says softly, shaking her head, her voice defeated. “She’s made it self-sustaining somehow….” 

“What did you do, mother?” Mon-El’s voice rings out over the chaos, as Kara runs to the machine, searching frantically for any sign of weakness. 

There is none.

Sparks fly, but the generator keeps turning. Kara’s powers seem to be no match for this invention. 

She knows it’s no use, because if Lena is involved, there’s no way there will be a mistake.

The doors open slowly to reveal a large, circular portal. The charged anions are active, creating a pool of violet lights, flashing and swirling within.

Kara turns in time to see Rhea shrugging, a small smirk on her face. Her heart drops. Lena’s standing behind her, shrinking back, a pained expression on her face that tells of all the anguish she feels over what’s happening. 

“You’re bringing something here” Mon-El says sternly, staring out to the portal before focusing on Rhea. Kara brings her attention back immediately. 

“What?” Kara’s eyes widen in fear. She begins to realize what Rhea has done, and in turn, what she has used Lena to do.

“You’ll see” Rhea smiles devilishly, staring out over the horizon. The land is desolate and calm, vibrating with anticipation. 

Kara takes one more look at Lena, cowering off to the side, looking hopeless and lost. The anger builds within her body and she launches herself across the room.

It’s for Lena, for all the pain Kara’s caused by behaving selfishly.

It’s for all the pain Rhea is insisting on causing by being here.

It’s for everyone she loves. 

Rhea and Supergirl crash into the wall with such force, that it immediately cracks, forming indentations around their bodies. Kara maneuvers quickly, only to hear the deafening clatter of metal shelves and heavy boxes tumbling over from several feet above their heads. Frantically, she twists out of Rhea’s grip, just in time to see everything clammer down, trapping Lena underneath, rendering her unconscious.

“Lena!” Kara yells, pushing Rhea’s hands from her neck, desperately trying to get to her best friend. Her heart is pounding in her ears, and Lena is lying defenseless on the cold concrete. 

She can’t process anything besides her friend, who only a short day ago, was sitting across from her at lunch, beaming with excitement over her new work partnership. Lena, with her quiet courage and snappy brilliance, her eyes bright with the ideas she had churning in her brain, practically bouncing out of her seat wanting to tell Kara everything about it. 

It’s all Kara can see when she tries desperately to get to her before anyone else.

Kara’s heart breaks to see another monster come into Lena’s life, only to use her, just like everyone else in her past.

_“You’ll love her, I promise”_ Lena’s hopeful words hang in Kara’s mind, and she cringes. Lena’s hope for a mentor had come to a drastic halt, and Kara can only begin to guess what kind of effect this will have on Lena going forward.

She resigns herself to fight harder, feeling her own guilt gnawing away at her. If only she had sacrificed earlier. If only she had convinced Mon-El to go. _If only, if only…._

It’s too late for ‘what-if’s’ and Kara’s attention springs back to the present. 

“Lena!” she calls again, only to be pulled back into combat with Rhea, forced to turn away and face her attacker.

She’s able to land a solid punch, forcing Rhea to the ground, before launching herself into the sky, desperately trying to get to the portal before whatever Rhea is bringing to Earth can take up residence. She takes comfort in the fact that Mon-El is back there with his mother, and can hold his ground long enough for her to secure the portal.

She’s confident he will keep Lena safe. 

Too soon, Kara is outnumbered and surrounded by hundreds of Daxamite ships, soaring through the portal, their lights flashing ominously across the horizon. She’s too late, and can’t do anything but hover and stare in horror. The invaders slowly slip in, uncontested. 

Back at the warehouse, Rhea secures her prisoners.

Lena and Mon-El are gone.

* * *

Lena feels the unmistakable warmth of strong, muscular arms wrapping around her, holding her with just the right mixture of security and tenderness. She melts into them fully, sighing against them in contentment. Golden blonde locks drape around her, and she allows herself to become immersed in all things bright and good.

She’s here. Her best friend is here.

Her Kara.

“You’re safe, I won’t let anything happen to you,” she whispers, her breath trailing over Lena’s neck and into her ear gracefully. “I’ve got you.”

Lena shudders, and presses her lips softly to the side of her neck.

“I’m so sorry, Kara” she whispers, and Kara squeezes her gently in response. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shhh…” 

Lena pulls back slightly and stares into the deep, azure eyes looking back at her with sincere adoration. Her heart drops, as she realizes it isn’t Kara holding her tightly, but Supergirl instead. Her chest tightens. She clenches her jaw, trying to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. This time, it feels impossible. She looks so much like Kara in this moment, and she doesn’t pull away when Lena says her name. Lena wants to break down, wants the comfort of knowing Kara is safe, wants to know her best friend still believes in her. She wants Kara, in every single way. 

She loves Supergirl, but she needs Kara.

She blinks several times, and she sees Supergirl is wearing glasses, smiling genuinely, the way Kara does whenever Lena speaks. It’s Kara, but not, because she’s wearing the crest of the house of El. Her hair is down in wavy locks, the way Supergirl’s always is, but her face is undoubtedly Kara. 

The similarities are uncanny.

Lena feels dizzy from all the back and forth. 

“I’ll always protect you” she promises, nodding firmly at Lena, her lips forming her trademark pout as her fingers slowly trace over Lena’s face.

“Kara?” Lena whispers, reaching out cautiously with her own hand, trying to make sense of who exactly is in front of her. 

“You know me,” Supergirl says, a small smile on her lips. “You’ve always known me.”

Supergirl leans in, her soft lips just barely ghosting over Lena’s own. 

Lena feels her heart pounding in her ears, as she desperately tries to push closer, closer, closer….

_Supergirl? Kara?_

“Wake up, Lena…” Kara’s voice says, growing fainter and fainter, “I need you to be strong, now. Wake up…”

She startles awake, feeling the cold, watchful eyes of a stranger pouring over her. She inches her head slightly, to see Rhea peering down, and instantly her heart jolts. She’s already reeling from her strange dream, but this is a whole different nightmare. Her body tenses, and her mind replays a fuzzy version of the events leading up to this moment. Namely, Supergirl coming and trying to stop Rhea. Trying to stop _them._

_What have I done?_

“Hello Lena,” Rhea’s haunting voice echoes out, as her fingers push Lena’s hair out of her eyes softly, as if she’s trying to soothe instead of torture.

“Where the hell am I?” Lena’s voice is shaky, and terrified as she looks around, studying the large bed she’s laying on and the black garment she’s been placed in. 

“I’ve been taking care of you, ever since Supergirl nearly killed you when she attacked our portal” Rhea calmly explains, as if this is a perfectly natural occurrence.

“Supergirl tried to stop you,” Lena is angry, now, knowing full well whose side she is supposed to be on, “I should have stopped you. You lied to me, you used me...” her eyes narrow in contempt, the trust she built for this woman completely shattering in light of recent events.

How many times is she going to go through this? How many times is she going to allow herself to be taken advantage of? She thinks of her mother, and the affection she desperately craves. This type of cruel behavior is normal for Lillian. In fact, it’s expected. Lena wouldn’t even bat an eye if her own mother had done this. It’s happened, time and time again, after all.

She thinks of Rhea, however, and the crushing pressure of new betrayal nearly chokes her. 

She thinks of Kara, and her genuine, authentic spirit, the way she never uses Lena for anything but her friendship. She wonders if she’ll ever see her again. The tears well up behind her eyes.

“I did what I had to do, for my people,” Rhea explains, adamantly, “But I did it for you too.”

She calmly stands from the bed and walks to the window, escorting Lena alongside, her hands on both sides of her arms as she navigates her to the edge of the room. She’s promising her sincerity when they were on the ground, a last ditch attempt to win Lena’s affection. 

_“You’re a marvel, Lena”_

Lena hears the words echoing in her mind, chastising herself for being so close to believing them, then. She feels naive, and disgusted. No one believes that about her, not without getting something of their own. The same holds true, now. Rhea is still trying to appeal to her, calling her the best of her race, and Lena wants to laugh. 

_The best of her race, so easily fooled by a simple trap. The best of her race, betrayed by her own heart._

Rhea is still presiding, promising a brighter future for them both, enticing her with an offer to rule over the Earth. Compliments and false guidance fall on deaf ears, as Lena stares out in horror over National City. 

She isn’t her brother, and promises of power do nothing for her.

She isn’t Lillian, and she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

She doesn’t want to rule, she just wants to help. She wants to heal, she wants to hold, she wants to leave a legacy that doesn’t make her sick to her stomach.

This is not what she wants.

National City is under siege, and all Lena can think is that everyone’s suspicions were right.

She’s the Luthor that destroyed the Earth. 

* * *

“You’re not actually thinking of going through with this?” Kara gestures harshly at Alex, indicating her discomfort with the President’s plan of using the positron cannon on the Daxamite warship. “Mon-El and Lena are still up there! What would J’onn say?”

Alex hesitates, but holds her ground.

“He would tell us to blow up the ship” she explains calmly. 

Kara grunts in response, staring hard at the ground before returning her glare to her sister.

Alex continues, “At least with the positron cannon we have a chance to save the people of National City. We don’t have a choice….” her face implores Kara to understand.

And she does. She really does.

But it’s harder than that. It’s more than that.

“There has to be another way!” she exclaims, her voice wavering. She feels the tears stinging behind her eyes as the reality of the situation begins to dawn on her. She could lose _both_ of them, both people she loves, and she refuses to do it without a fight. 

“This is one time you can’t just _fix_ this, Kara!” Alex begs, reaching for her hands, trying to steady her. Kara refuses.

“Imagine if it was Maggie!” Kara bursts, and she doesn’t care how it sounds. It’s desperate, and dire, and she needs her sister to understand. Her face begs her to understand.

_Lena is up there!_

“I can!” Alex nods, holding back her own tears, “Which is why this is so hard…” she pauses, and sighs, “We have orders...I’m so sorry...” she finishes, reaching for Kara’s arm.

Kara shrinks back, away from her touch. Her mind is reeling, and she doesn’t know what to say or what to do. She retreats, and tells Alex she’s going to get some air. 

She heads outside, slamming the door of the bar in frustration as she enters the secluded back alley.

She’s desperate for a plan. Desperate to find another way. She stares longingly at the sky, studying the stars, willing something, anything to come to her.

_Where are you when I need you?_

She pictures her mother, and her aunt, and her father, and she wishes against rationality that someone else could tell her what to do. Someone who knows.

She wishes for Lena’s brilliance. She wishes for Alex’s courage.

She struggles to catch her breath as she spins in circles, inhaling, exhaling, trying to find something steady to ground herself on.

Kara knows she should be worrying about Mon-el, and she is. Having Rhea back on Earth is bad news for everyone, and she worries about her plans when it comes to her only son. She doesn’t think the Daxamite Queen has it in her to kill him. He is, after all, the reason she’s on Earth in the first place. Still, she’s unsettled and anxious, trying to unravel the plan, and figure out where Lena and Mon-El fit into it.

She worries in a way that feels stiff. He’s a Daxamite, and if anyone can navigate their way out of this situation, surrounded by his own people, it would be Mon-El. 

She worries, but it isn’t with the same intensity as she does when she thinks of who else is up there.

She doesn’t question Lena’s genius, or her ability to survive. In fact, it’s the only thing keeping her from losing her sanity completely. She believes in Lena, and knows she will find a way. It’s the idea that Lena is up there suffering, blaming herself for this invasion, and wallowing in guilt, that makes Kara want to scream.

It’s the hole in her heart that’s causing the problem. It threatens to consume her if she thinks about what this might mean.

When she puts the two side by side, it becomes more and more clear where her feelings take her. She isn’t sure how she failed to see it before.

She thinks of Lena, and her gentle, patient spirit. She thinks of the way she quietly encourages Kara to be better in every facet of her life. She compliments her skills, and drives her to accomplish things beyond her wildest ambitions. 

_“You could have fooled me”_

Kara smiles, thinking of Lena and her unshakable conviction, the way she said those words even then, even before she knew Kara at all. The way her eyes locked on hers and said “I believe in you” without so much as a hint of doubt.

Lena supports her, and cheers for her, and never tears her down. If anything, she elevates her beyond a level Kara feels she even deserves, all while asking for nothing in return. Lena herself has no one in her corner, but refuses to give up, living an authentic life that is all her own, and doing it with modesty and bravery. Kara admires Lena for everything she is, and everything she stands for. She even admires her for everything she’s not. She isn’t ruthless, or cold, or deceitful. She isn’t manipulative or jaded. She isn’t what anyone expects. 

Even their arguments have been caused by their dedication to each other. They have disagreements about work things, of course -- Lena’s ideas, and Kara’s perspective sometimes don’t always mix -- but they respect each other enough to always hear the other’s point of view. Kara replays their most recent fight in her head, and how even that comes as a result of Lena wanting so desperately to help her.

_It happens when Alex goes missing, and understandably, Kara isn’t able to think of anything but getting her back. She feels her mind is moving in a thousand directions, and losing Alex is akin to living her worst nightmare. Looking back, she could have, and probably should have, involved Lena, even simply for her connections to resources and knack for resolving complicated situations. It just doesn’t occur to her at the time, and she is afraid of being a burden to someone already reeling from her own strife and loss. Lena had only lost Jack a few weeks prior, and it seemed like poor timing for her broken heart to be smothered by more stress._

_When they finally manage to rescue her sister, and her world returns to some bit of “normal”, Kara allows herself to resurface, to reach out, to be back in Lena’s life. But when she tells Lena the truth days later, her best friend nearly breaks down in tears._

_“Why didn’t you tell me?” her voice quivers, as she clenches her jaw, staring hard at Kara, “That’s your sister! Kara, you must have been terrified.”_

_“I was…” Kara begins, but she stops when she sees the hurt in Lena’s eyes. “I didn’t want to bother you with it, you’re so busy--”_

_“I’m never too busy for something like that, or for you! Do you really think that?” she asks, searching Kara’s face desperately._

_“No--No, of course I don’t--” Kara stutters, “I just don’t want to bring you down with those things, it isn’t fair to you.”_

_Lena stiffens, and crosses her arms._

_“You’ve been by my side constantly, for more issues and drama and stressful moments than I’d really like to count, and you’re going to tell me that it’s unfair for me to share the same responsibility when it comes to you?” Lena arches her eyebrow in a blatant challenge. “You’ll have to explain this to me, Kara. I don’t think I understand.”_

_“I didn’t want to worry you….” Kara’s eyes trail to the ground, unable to look at Lena directly, realizing that by protecting her, she really only shunts their relationship._

_“I might not be an expert on friendship,” Lena starts, a sarcastic snarl twisting her lips, “But that’s what friends do. They rely on each other. They trust each other to be there. They comfort each other. It can’t be one-sided. I can’t be the only one allowed to fall apart. I won’t have that, Kara. Until you figure out how to allow me to be there -- fully be there -- then I don’t really have anything else to say to you right now.”_

Even when she’s angry, she’s angry because she feels she isn’t _doing enough._

She thinks of Mon-El, then, and she’s filled with nostalgia. It’s a feeling of her old life, the past life on Krypton, and a familiarity that she might have had if she never came to Earth. He understands her way of life, and he comes from a planet that is close enough to her own. They’re both outcasts here, even if the circumstances are different, and sometimes it’s the reminder Kara needs to know she isn’t alone. He has helped instill a sense of responsibility and duty in her life, though she admits she has been drawn to him for selfish, toxic reasons. She wanted so badly to help him, and instead, she finds herself dedicated to making him better at the cost of her own growth and development. It’s further complicated by her friendship with Lena, one that thrives in stark contrast to the relationship she has with Mon-El. One energizes her and fills her with positivity, and the other one simply takes that and depletes her of anything she has left. She has felt it all happening, but until now, she couldn’t put a finger on what exactly has been wrong.

She thinks about the constant disagreements and fights she finds herself in with Mon-El, and how they become personal, taxing, and disrespectful. She can’t even count all the times she’s felt degraded, or insulted by Mon-El’s disregard for her intelligence.

_Hypocrite. Self-righteous. Arrogant._

The words still sting, weeks and months later, because they’re attacks on her character, and not her actions. Everything feels like a battle, and she can’t believe how forgiving and understanding she’s been.

Now, with both of their lives in danger, Kara sees it with more clarity than ever before.

She still finds it in herself to appreciate Mon-El, and ultimately, she wants all the good things in the world for him. But a relationship with him is not what that means. She’s always been right -- they’re too different, and they don’t belong together. 

She thinks of Lena and knows it has always been her. That’s immediately where her heart goes when she allows it to choose. She’s sick with the idea of failure, of what it will mean if she can’t get her back. 

If she never sees her again.

If her best friend is gone forever.

“So who’s up there?” the familiar voice enters her thoughts, and Kara whips around, realizing she isn’t alone. 

Cat.

Kara stares at her, and hesitates, before Cat continues.

“Oh please, we both know Winslow is not capable of keeping his mouth shut” she snaps, staring up into the sky once again, following the same path Kara’s eyes had been moments before.

Kara sighs. 

“My best friend…” she starts to say, but the words get tangled in her throat as she pictures Lena’s face. She coughs, trying to will her emotions away for the moment. “My best friend is up there...but maybe the President and Alex are right. Supergirl has a responsibility to protect everyone…” she sighs, and pushes herself forward in exasperation. “But all I can think about is how the person I love is trapped on that ship, and if we destroy it, then she’s destroyed too. And that….that would just break my heart” the tears feel hot behind her eyes, and she continues to stare upwards to prevent them from cascading over.

It’s the closest to a confession she’s ever come, and she isn’t sure she’s even said the real words to explain how she feels. All she can hear is Lena’s voice in her mind, willing her to continue.

“I know, I’m selfish” Kara finishes, turning back to face Cat, before leaning back against the back alley dumpster. It isn't until she begins speaking again that she realizes she didn't even think to mention Mon-El. She pushes her guilt down further and ignores it.

“Ah, no, that’s not selfish,” Cat explains, “It’s human.”

She launches into her anecdote about the happiest place on Earth in the Himalayas, and Kara is forced to smile, at the way Cat explains her yurt, and the fact that these people have nothing and are inexplicably _happy_.

“The secret to happiness is human connection,” she continues, “And I could conquer the world at CatCo or I could twiddle my thumbs in a yurt, and the loneliness would feel exactly the same because I was missing the point. It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you love. Wanting to rescue the people you love is not selfish, it’s….it’s everything.” she shakes her head and looks at Kara encouragingly. 

Kara feels hopeful, for the first time since the invasion, and she nods her head in agreement.

“I’ve really missed your advice Ms. Grant” she says, and it’s more true than she can ever hope to explain. 

“And I’ve really missed giving it, now, shoo-- up up and away, no time to lose” Cat grins knowingly. 

Kara takes off into the sky, with renewed vigor after Cat’s inspirational words.

She tries to think of her last conversation with Lena -- their last one as just them, just best friends, not CEO and Supergirl. It seems trivial, now, talking about silly, meaningless topics over lunch. But it means everything. She sees Lena’s smile, and she feels the adrenaline kick in. 

She decides at that moment that she refuses to fail. 

* * *

Lena waits quietly as the guards knock on her door. She gets up reluctantly and begins to follow them down the corridor.

Mike is here with her now, and she didn’t think this nightmare could get any stranger, but it has. He’s here, but he isn’t here on Kara’s orders to rescue her. He’s also not Mike, he’s Mon-El, and apparently, the heir to the Daxamite throne. 

_Has everything always been so blatantly obvious? Have I always been so self-absorbed that I didn’t realize my own best friend was dating an alien?_

Her heart sinks, when she realizes Kara never told her. She is sure Kara trusts her implicitly, and that they’d reached an agreement on their stance on aliens, even after their small rift over the detection device. Lena would never judge Kara for this, particularly if it is someone that makes her best friend happy. She feels guilty, thinking about how Kara probably went through great lengths to keep this from her, in order to keep their friendship intact.

Perhaps she didn’t convey her true feelings enough. Perhaps Kara feels threatened and uncomfortable around Lena no matter what she does. It’s a stabbing realization, resting beneath her ribcage, making it startlingly harder to breathe. She follows Mon-El somberly into the main chamber, led by two Daxamite guards who look like tin men on steroids. She keeps her eyes focused on the ground, feeling utterly hopeless until Rhea begins to speak.

“My son! The prince, and his beautiful, brilliant, bride to be! Finally, all is right with our world!” she claims, smiling, her hands gesturing to the heavens. 

Lena can’t understand how this is happening. How is she ever going to get out of this? Further, how is she ever going to explain any of this to Kara?

Her heart hurts, but she stares resolutely ahead as Mon-El refutes his mother’s claims. 

“I’m insane to even try to get through to you, Mother, but here it is: Lena and I are not getting married” he says confidently, and Lena glances at him before meeting Rhea’s eyes, raising her own eyebrows in defiance.

“You can make this easy, or you can make this hard,” she says simply, staring back at them seemingly unbothered by their refusal. “But there will be a wedding, and you will produce an heir.”

Lena thinks she’s going to be sick. 

She scoffs and refuses again, glaring at Mon-El with distaste, wondering how things could possibly get worse. 

Mon-El explains that on Daxam, an heir can be created using only genetic material, and it’s the only piece of good news Lena has heard in days. She has 2 whole seconds of potential peace before she finds out Rhea has already snatched some of her hair when she was asleep, leading to the possibility of a rogue Daxamite-Human baby being created at any moment. 

Her face pales at the thought. Mon-El is standing stoically, and Lena can’t figure out why he isn’t more vocal about his displeasure. She assumes he knows Rhea better than she does, and that there is little reasoning he can do with her.

As if on cue, Rhea strolls across the room nonchalantly, explaining her understanding for Lena’s disinterest. 

“This wedding will legitimize your union in the eyes of the Daxamite people. We’ll have a formal ceremony…” Rhea begins circling the room, gesturing, before Lena interrupts.

“You’re insane if you think I’m going through this pageant for you” she snarls, feeling the pang of so much hurt and frustration beginning to settle in her chest. She feels the recklessness kick in, the type she gets when it’s only her life in danger.

She isn’t going down without a fight, and her own life isn’t worth anything if she can’t protect _something_. Queen of Daxam or not, Lena Luthor isn’t going to just go quietly. If Mon-El doesn’t want to fight, then fine. But she’s going to.

“Yes, you’ve made your feelings for me abundantly clear, Lena. I don’t expect you to do it for me” Rhea says, amused, “But, there are people you do care for.” 

She pushes a few buttons on a screen, and a familiar looking building comes up, with a suspicious red target over the center. Lena squints, and stares at it, the realization crushing her with unrelenting pressure.

The Luthor Family Children’s Hospital. She swallows the growing lump in her throat.

Once again, Rhea is a step ahead, playing on her weakness. Her kindness. Her selflessness.

Lena’s face falls as she stares at the image on the screen.

“It’s what I’ve always liked about you, Lena,” she drawls, tauntingly, “That you do more with your money and power than just live...lavishly,” she smirks, and turns to the screen once more, “You care about the little people.”

Lena feels her heart break further. She thinks of the patients, and all their families. She thinks of the times she’s visited, and all the little souls beaming at her when she offers a kind word, or a small gesture. Lena has spent hours in that hospital of her own volition, and the idea of it being destroyed at the hands of this _monster_ lessens her previously reckless resolve. 

“The two of you will get married, and after that, you can spend the rest of your days rotting in a cell for all I care. The question is, will you agree to the ceremony now, or only after I’ve murdered thousands of lives in the city below? Because, after all, The Luthor Children’s Hospital isn’t the only hospital in town….” Rhea threatens, and Lena knows her fate is sealed.

There’s no way out of this, because Lena already feels responsible for this as it is.

She quietly agrees, and she hears Mon-El do the same.

When she returns to her chambers, the only thing she can hear is her own heart clattering inside her chest. She doesn’t trust that Rhea will preserve the hospital, even if they go through with the wedding, but the idea of refusing, only to have more blood on her hands is out of the question. 

She hopes somehow, it’s the right choice.

Once again, she thinks of Kara.

Kara must be beside herself worried about Mon-El. It gives her some relief that he is here, because it means Kara will do everything she can to save him. Lena knows Kara will stop at nothing to protect the people she loves the most. She hopes against hope she’ll still want to do it for Lena, too, although she doesn’t feel worthy of anyone’s friendship right now. Instead, she sits, and she stares at the bright red gown in the corner. It’s her wedding dress, and it makes her sick to her stomach.

When it comes to weddings, Lena’s never given them a second thought. She’s never wanted one, and never been in love long enough to consider the option. Jack crosses her mind briefly, and she thinks they might have come close, once upon a time, but even that doesn’t seem to fit the picture in her head. Her fingers trace along the delicately stitched fabric, and she studies the garment carefully. It might be pretty if it wasn’t a prison sentence. It might be doable if she could end up happy. 

She closes her eyes and tries to steady her thoughts. She pictures walking down an aisle, clutching a white bouquet of her favorite flowers. Her breath hitches when her mind can only settle on one face at the end of the aisle that would ever make sense.

It’s soft, and gentle, with a sure smile and bright eyes that seem to fit galaxies deep within them. Lena squeezes her own eyes shut harder, to try to thwart the idea, but the image only gets stronger. It’s Kara, radiating beauty and love, waiting for her at the end.

No matter what she does, it will always be Kara. 

Her eyes fly open, and the sobs take over her body. She lets her emotions out, because on this warship, there’s nobody around to hear her cry. Nobody to care if she’s broken beyond repair. She clutches her pillow tightly and falls apart, allowing the guilt to ravage her completely. 

How can she marry Mon-El? How can she do this to Kara? The only person in the world she loves beyond reason, and she’s going to betray her _again_. She wonders if there’s anything in her life she doesn’t manage to damage, and her mind turns up completely blank.

The tears fall endlessly, and Lena doesn’t make any effort to stop it. She knows in her heart that Kara would choose to save the children. She would pick the greater good, and she would do what she had to do. She knows Kara would understand why Lena chose this, and she even knows Kara would ultimately find it in her heart to forgive her. 

She hopes it’s the right decision, even if she doesn’t feel she’ll ever deserve Kara’s unconditional forgiveness. Lena tosses and turns, feeling anxious and unsettled, going back and forth about what to do. 

Finally she lands on the inevitable. 

At the end of the day, Lena will do whatever it takes to make sure Kara gets Mon-El back. She will give everything she has to protect Kara’s heart, even if it means breaking her own in the process.

Her heart has been in pieces long before this moment, anyway.

It’s the way it has to be, and Lena resigns herself to a restless sleep. She falls into a chaotic dream, one filled with bleeding white flowers and torn wedding dresses, all finally ending up the same color as a certain hero’s red cape. 

* * *

The tall figure strolls into the room, black trench coat over black pants, smirking with almost villainous delight.

Alex, Maggie and James all reach for their weapons instinctively, pointing them at the stranger, as Kara glares over their shoulders.

“What? Not happy to see me?” Lillian sneers, walking into the makeshift DEO headquarters confidently. It’s the stride of someone who owns the place, not the stride of someone entering the den of their enemy. It’s a classic Luthor pose, and Kara almost smiles at the sight. 

She knows that confidence, even if it’s faked. Lena has the same purposeful stroll, even when she’s intimidated.

Kara’s heart is pounding, and she feels conflicted. On one hand, if Lillian Luthor is here, there is nothing good that can come from it. On the other hand, Lillian Luthor is here for the same reason Kara is. She wants Lena back.

“You made a mistake, coming here” Kara finds herself saying, her eyes never leaving Lillian’s face. Deep down, she wonders who is making the mistake. The lines are blurring every second, the longer and longer they wait. 

“I find it as distasteful as you do, Supergirl,” Lillian says simply, gracefully removing her gloves and keeping a respectful distance from Alex’s gun, “But I need your help...and you need mine.”

“Alright,” Kara says, striding up to her quickly, facing the elder Luthor head on. “What do you want?”

“To take down our common enemy,” Lillian’s eyes are flashing with intent, and Kara is painfully reminded, once again, of Lena’s, and the way she gets the same look when she’s particularly adamant about a project. “Everything I warned about has come to pass.”

Lillian strolls further into the room, carrying on about Cadmus, and how right she had been. Kara studies her, but it bothers her that she should be so desperate to get her daughter back, when she had been the person to kidnap and frame her only months before. 

The rest of the group shirks her offer and Lillian speaks directly to all of them.

“Don’t let your pride get in the way of your objective” she warns, and it feels like the only piece of advice Lillian has ever given that makes sense.

Still, Kara feels torn, and she knows better than to trust this woman that has no problem betraying anyone in her path, even her own daughter. What would stop her from doing the same to someone she is only tolerating to take down a threat?

She makes toward the exit and goes to leave, but Kara feels herself brushing arms with the woman, and staring at her one final time. They are locked in a wordless entanglement before Lillian tries one more attempt.

“I understand why you all don’t trust me. Whatever happened in our past, I’m asking you to leave it there,” Lillian says, and her face is as close to sincere as Kara has ever seen it. 

She knows she’s playing with fire, and she sees why Lena is so easily swayed to fall under this woman’s influence. She can’t imagine if this was her own mother, how she would feel. She thinks Lena is even stronger than many people realize, or give her credit for, herself included. Facing Lillian gives her a newfound respect for Lena Luthor.

_She thinks back to Lillian’s arrest, and the way Lena bravely stood up in court and testified against her own mother after pulling a con and getting her arrested in the first place. Kara remembers visiting her in her office and seeing Lena with a plastered smile on her face, the one she wears when she’s dying inside._

_The one that masks all the hurt beneath it._

_“Everyone in National City’s got an opinion about me,” she says, gliding across her office, trying to play it off like the hateful words don’t get under her skin, “Ungrateful daughter, heroine, bitch…” her eyes widen in amusement, but Kara can feel the pain._

_Lena says she’s thankful she got her day in court, to say her piece, and distance herself from the Luthor name. Kara thinks it’s true, but that Lena will always feel guilty for putting her mother in jail, even if it is right._

_Lena vents to Kara about Lillian wanting her to visit the jail, and Kara admires how despite her anger and disappointment, Lena’s heart is still tempted to forgive._

_“She’s still your mom” Kara says, the words almost haunting her now that everything has played out._

_Lena sighs, and nods solemnly._

_“Yeah” she agrees, a small, sad smile on her lips. The look says everything that her words don’t, and Kara knows Lena will always have a place for Lillian in her heart._

But then Lillian does it. She mentions Lena, and Kara feels a shock to her system. “The love I feel for my daughter is real. Please Kara…help me save her….” she begs, her eyes almost tearful. 

It’s a noble performance, but Kara isn’t fooled.

She stares hard at Lillian’s face, embittered at the way she can throw around  the word “love” when it comes to anything involving Lena. She knows it isn’t her place, but she feels fiercely protective in that moment. Not to mention, she’s rattled slightly by Lillian’s purposeful use of her real name. The identity that Lillian knows, and Lena, her own best friend, does not. 

It’s said as a threat, hanging in the air, with consequences both women are very aware of. Kara clenches her jaw.

“Get out” Kara responds, avoiding eye contact. It’s painful, even though she knows it’s the right thing to do.

“Call me if you change your mind” Lillian offers a small, parting smile, and Kara takes the phone at the last possible second, before walking away from her.

* * *

Lena strolls into the main area of the ship, surrounded by tin guards with spears, and flanked by a guard to prevent her from turning and leaving. Where she would go is anyone’s guess on a ship hundreds of feet in the air, but she doesn’t have time to calculate an escape route right now. She’s given up for the moment. She knows what she has to do.

The fabric of the loathsome garment hangs around her hips, and she feels like a spectacle parading around for the thrill of everyone else. She clenches her jaw and marches forward with her head held high. 

Even at her worst, she refuses to cower before anyone.

The guard offers his hand in assistance, and she scoffs as she rolls her eyes. He’s even more useless than Mon-El, which Lena thinks is saying something, considering his helpfulness thus far.

“Yeah, I’m good” she quips, the Luthor bravado seeping through as she feels all trace of remorse leave her body.

She’s numb, and cold, and she feels like her heart is hundreds of miles away. 

She goes to Mon-El’s side, and she’s never felt more alone in her life. Mon-El, who looks similarly disgruntled, nods vaguely before they turn to face Rhea. She stands gracefully, her arms upheld, demanding they hold hands so they can begin the proceeding.

There is silence, and resistance, before Mon-El relents, and holds his hand up for Lena to grasp. She quietly places her hand in his, staring ahead as she does so, feeling absolutely nothing.

She’s not sorry, she’s not sad, she’s not scared.

She feels an emptiness beyond anything she’s ever felt before.

Rhea begins preaching about souls uniting, and finding their star in one another, and Lena clenches her jaw. It’s wrong, and it’s a mockery of marriage, but the words barely register anymore. She feels like she’s cried out every tear she’s ever had, and now, there’s nothing but wanton loneliness. A hole that will never be filled again. Her heart thumps calmly, because she has nothing else to hold on to.

Just as it’s about to end, the ceremony, and frankly, her life, a familiar sassy voice begins radiating through the speakers. 

“Good evening National City, it’s Cat Grant,” she crows, and everything pauses for a minute. “Yes, I’ve been away for awhile, but I’m back.” she declares, and Lena instantly drops her hand from Mon-El’s. She turns to face the source of the voice, and sees Cat lighting up the screen on the Daxamite ship for the second time since her arrival.

Rhea stares at the screen in disbelief, and horror.

Lena begins to feel a small twinge of hope flutter deep in her heart. 

She hears Cat’s words, urging the people of National City to _resist_ , and Lena begins to feel the fire in her own soul ignite with passion. She doesn’t want to be a martyr to some ridiculous cause. She knows better. She _is_ better. This is the break in the action she needs to begin to devise a plan.

Her mind begins furiously calculating, as she scans quickly and quietly around the room, taking in the angles of the doors from where the guards are standing, and how likely it will be for her and Mon-El to overtake them. She’s lost in her own thoughts, before Rhea roughly shoves her to the side, as she walks to the screen that Cat is speaking from.

Lena shakes her head and smirks quickly at Mon-El, trying to convey to him that the time is now. They have to escape, they can’t wait. She only hopes he catches on.

Rhea yells for a guard to send soldiers down to Earth to kill Cat, and then orders everyone back to their chambers. Mon-El graciously gestures for Lena to exit first, and they leave, escorted by the same masked guard from before.

Once they are out of Rhea’s sights, Mon-El turns to the guard and demands, as prince of Daxam, for him to lower his weapon. This only serves to antagonize the guard further, causing him to point the weapon directly at Mon-El’s face. Lena pauses in the shadows, studying the scene. She’s encouraged slightly, that Mon-El seems ready to at least attempt to fight, even if not successfully. He turns to her and smirks, before launching himself at the guard. His momentum causes the gun to fall from the guard’s hands, and the two begin entangling in a fruitless battle.

Lena eyes the weapon, and notices Mon-El and the guard seem to be equally matched. She walks casually over and picks it up. She closes one eye and aims, pulling the trigger and firing easily at his chest. The guard falls, and Lena stares at Mon-El with the weapon still raised.

“Thank you” he says, somewhat sarcastically, as he raises his hands and tilts his head at her.

Lena doesn’t respond. She wonders instead how he would have escaped without the assistance. It’s hard not to put her own bias into her judgement, but she can’t help but wonder what Kara truly sees in him.

He isn’t brave, or selfless, or heroic.

He seems to need constant guidance and assurance, and frankly, it’s a burden more than an asset at this point.

She smirks to herself, thinking of Kara, and her desire to help, to teach, to heal.

It all makes sense, really, in that capacity.

She puts the gun down and turns away, sauntering down the opposite hallway, determined not to follow Mon-El any longer. It’s clear he isn’t going to help her get out of here.

He follows dutifully, chasing after her until they approach a door just as its closing.

“Break that” Lena demands, pointing the gun in the direction of the control panel.

“This?” he asks, and Lena’s eyes widen in exasperation. Time is ticking. She nods, stopping herself just before her eyes roll in annoyance, trying to keep her patience while his elbow breaks through the glass.

She pulls the tiara from her head and begins tinkering with the mechanics, as Mon-El watches eagerly. The control panel lights up, and Lena grins in triumph.

“I can see why Kara loves you” he chuckles, an amused air in his tone. 

Lena bristles. She has felt indifferent towards him until now, and perhaps under any other circumstances, she would be able to endure. She would be able to resign herself, and sacrifice her own feelings for Kara’s. It would be the right thing to do, the expected thing to do. But in this moment, trapped on an alien warship, trying frantically to escape with the hope that she’ll even see Kara again, she decides to throw caution to the wind. 

Her distaste for Mon-El creeps out over a curled lip. She’s frustrated, and annoyed, and hates the sound of her name coming out of his mouth.

“Likewise” she deadpans, her eyebrows raised in sarcastic challenge. The cryptic words hang in the air, but Mon-El nods, happy with the answer. Lena scoffs lightly, and busies herself with trying to pick the lock properly.

Her brain is flying a million miles per hour, and all she can think about is _home_.

One more chance to get back to hers, the one with honey golden hair and the heroic smile.

* * *

Kara swallows hard, and studies the phone in her hand. She knows it’s a risk. She knows she’s more likely than not going to be left for dead. She also knows it’s Lena’s only chance to come home safe.

She dials the number, and takes off. In an instant, she’s approaching the Cadmus facility, and when she turns the corner, she finds Lillian and Cyborg Henshaw in a van.

“So how do we get onto this ship?” she asks, raising the phone in her hand, a symbol of peaceful approach. Lillian gives her a smug smile in greeting.

They arrive back at the bar, and Alex is standing firmly against it.

“How can we possibly work with Cadmus? We have been fighting them for a year, we can’t trust them!” Alex points harshly in Lillian’s direction and Kara feels the same unease.

“I know, but we have to try!” she turns quickly and walks toward Lillian in order to formulate a plan.

They discuss the projector in the fortress of solitude, and Cyborg Henshaw’s ability to interface with it, in order to beam on to the ship undetected. 

“That’s cool!” Winn exclaims, before catching Alex’s eye and retreating quickly “Not--not--cool…” he trails off, sheepishly.

“When we’re on board, Alex can wrestle back control of the positron cannon at the DEO. It’ll be a tight squeeze to find Lena and Mon-El before she fires” Kara explains, her arms splayed on the table in front of her, staring hard at Lillian Luthor.

“I suspect you’re up to the challenge” The older Luthor says, her head tilted in scrutiny.

Alex doesn’t acknowledge the threat, and instead nods to the group, telling them it’s time to go.

Kara pulls Winn aside and whispers a quick back up plan into his ear, just to be safe. Lillian is calculated, and precise, like Lena, but she isn’t kind or gentle like her daughter. Kara knows they need a safety net.

As she’s leaving, Alex steps up to her, her face soft and understanding.

“Hey…” she begins, looking at her with an apologetic look, “What you said earlier, about Maggie… if she was on that ship...you were right. I would do anything I could to save her. So.. you better hurry…”

“I will” Kara promises, thankful for Alex’s support in this final minute.

“If you are still on board when I fire, you will not survive…” she reaches and grabs Kara into a tight hug, and Kara lets herself be comforted by the one person who can provide it. “So please. Just be faster than me…” her voice is choked with a muffled sob, “I know you’re fast, but please, just be faster….”

“Faster than speeding bullet” Kara’s voice quivers, as the tears threaten to come. She rubs Alex’s back and holds her sister tight. 

She promises she will succeed. 

She has no choice. 

They arrive at the fortress of solitude, a place she never thought she’d be with the company she is with right now. Standing there in her cousin’s sacred holding spot, she turns to Lillian questioningly.

“Is this going to work?” she asks, her arms crossed in skepticism.

“Most likely” Henshaw’s hoarse voice replies.

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll all spend a lot of time getting to know one another in the phantom zone” Lillian sneers.

Kara exhales a soft laugh, because it’s the same snarky response she’d expect Lena to say, delivered with the same Luthor punch.

She turns to the older Luthor and asks her the question she’s been dying to ask ever since she walked into the bar offering her services.

“I’m curious about something…” she begins, “You know my real identity, but you never told Lena. Why is that?”

Lillian smirks, and stares ahead. 

“Oh, Eventually, she’ll find out on her own….find out you’ve been lying to her all this time. And when she does, she’ll hate you for it.”

The words hit hard, and Kara shakes her head in disbelief. She doesn’t want to think that way, doesn’t want to admit the very real possibility of Lena hating her. She knows Lillian is toying with her slightly, but the fact that Lena is so hung up on trust, and loyalty, and sharing responsibility, it makes Kara’s heart hurt.

She’s forced to push it from her mind as the projector is turned on, and they enter the Daxamite ship.

As soon as they land, the group turns a corner and are faced with several heavily armed guards. Kara races ahead to attack them one by one. As they fall down around her, Lillian and Henshaw bring up the rear.

“It’s a shame your politics are so intractable, you’re very useful” she says, placing the gun back in her holster and nodding at Kara.

“My politics? I thought it was my alien genetics that were the problem” Kara sneers, staring up at Lillian with the same determined look her sister gets when she’s confronting a challenge.

“Just take the compliment” Lillian says irritably.

They continue on in search of Lena and Mon-El, heading in the direction of the only human heat signature on the ship.

“That’s my girl” Lillian nods triumphantly, and Kara’s heart flutters at the thought of seeing Lena again. 

Soon.

Several guards jump out at once, and Kara lands punch after punch, knocking the Daxamite guards to and fro. She counters a final guard and knocks him off his feet immediately. She huffs, and looks up abruptly, only to be hit full force with piercing, green eyes and a surprised, careful smile. She chokes on her breath, her heart dropping several stories before regaining a normal rhythm.

In that moment, time stops. 

Lena.

She’s radiant, and beautiful and wearing… _oh, Rao. What is she wearing?_

It looks similar to the traditional wedding garments of Krypton, but the wrong colors, the wrong fit, the wrong everything. It’s ceremonious, and Lena is gorgeous, but it’s wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s _Daxam_ and it’s _Lena_ and everything is upside down. 

Kara stops herself, then. Why is she so uncomfortable with Lena in a Daxam dress?

_Because she should be wearing the one from Krypton,_ her mind fills in the gap before she has time to fully react.

She stares again at the bright red dress fitting snugly around Lena’s body, and it causes the burning in Kara’s chest to intensify. Her eyes graze from top to bottom slower this time, taking in the sight completely. _It can’t be, though…_

Her mind wanders briefly, picturing the scene, and the thought fills her with more emotions than she can possibly process right now. She wants to burst into tears, for so many reasons -- relief, anger, jealousy, rage -- but above all, love. 

She loves Lena so much, and it has never been more evident than by her feelings right this very moment. 

The footsteps echo behind her and she’s pulled back to the urgency of the moment.

“Hi!” she squeaks toward both of them, noticing Mon-el, finally, as his face comes into her vision. She blinks her eyes quickly, trying to regain her composure. He’s standing in front of Lena, and she wonders if he’s always been there.

Lena grins at her over his shoulder, and Kara’s eyes flicker from one to the other, as if she has to choose. She doesn’t know why it feels like this. They’re both here, both happy to see her. Her throat is dry, and her knees are inexplicably shaking. 

Lena’s eyes hold surprise, and wonder in them, and Kara can’t understand why she wouldn’t think she’d be here to rescue her. She’s promised her over and over again her loyalty and protection. She’s told her in so many ways how she feels. But she hasn’t told her the one thing that would make it all make sense. 

She hasn’t told her the truth.

Lena looks from Mon-El to Supergirl and back, and her eyebrows furrow slightly, showing the twinge of disappointment taking over her thoughts. 

Kara sighs. Whatever it is, they’ll sort it out later.

For now, she’s okay. 

She’s alive, and she’s here, and she’s _safe._

“You came….” Lena whispers, then, rushing forward, stopping just in front of Kara, looking unsure how to proceed. She hesitates, but Kara reaches out her arms, knowing Lena is wanting someone else to be there instead. Lena graciously accepts her gesture, though, and gently hugs her back. Kara leans forward, her forehead pressing lightly against Lena’s.

She wishes Lena could know it’s her, could feel it in the way she’s pouring everything into her touch right now, but this will have to do. It’s all she has.  

“Always” she says softly, closing her eyes, feeling at peace for a quick moment. It’s fleeting, but it’s enough. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Her eyes flicker over Lena’s lips briefly, the soft lines around them and the way they’re parted just so. She feels herself leaning forward ever so slightly. She catches herself before it becomes too far to turn back, and grins sheepishly, her body tensing with embarrassment at what she almost just did. Lena’s eyes flicker up, catching hers with the same guilty expression.

Mon-El turns to them, and Supergirl clears her throat, letting Lena go clumsily, the spell broken for the moment. 

“Erm-- Kara Danvers sent me!” she says, wincing slightly at the way it sounds, so canned, so forced. She hopes with all that’s going on, Lena won’t notice.

“Oh, Kara, she’s great!” Mon-El agrees, and it isn’t helping in the least.  

“Is Kara okay?” Lena asks, her voice low, searching Supergirl’s eyes frantically for the answer. 

Kara stiffens slightly, her lips pursed over her own lies. 

“Yes, she’s fine”

She sees Lena relax, and they both exhale. 

“Lena...” Lillian calls out from behind the group. 

Kara had almost forgotten she was there.

“You came...with her?” Lena asks, her throat raspy with the effort and shock of everything going on. Her eyes are bright and shining with hope, glancing from Lillian, back to Kara. 

Lillian nods, and Lena gently walks past Kara to face her mother. 

Kara stares at Mon-El, studying his face for the first time, feeling relief that he’s also safe. He’s smiling back at her with adoring eyes, and she feels guilty for another set of reasons she refuses to explain.

“Hi” he says, smiling. 

Before Kara can react, she hears Henshaw’s gruff voice behind her.

“We should move” he says, and Kara is grateful. Lillian, Henshaw and Lena are a few paces ahead of them, moving quickly, as she turns with Mon-El to follow.

They enter the part of the ship where they arrived, and the three vanish immediately.

Kara stares hopelessly after them. In a way, she’s relieved, because Lena is off the ship and safe. Kara knows there would be no way to convince her to go otherwise, if she realized what Kara was going to have to do. 

She’s bitter with Lillian for doing exactly what she expected, but for Lena’s sake, she can overlook it.

“Where’d they go?” she hears Mon-El’s confused voice call out.

She turns to him.

“Lillian left us to die,” she explains, her voice calm, and unsurprised. “Her betraying us wasn’t the biggest shock ever, so, Winn bugged Henshaw and rigged a remote so I could beam us back if she double crossed us” she finishes, proud of herself for her forward thinking.

Despite it being Lillian’s betrayal, she grins wider, thinking how Lena would be proud, too.

“Hope for the best…”

“Have Winn Schott prepare for the worst” Mon-El finishes, grinning.

“I’m not going with you” Kara says softly, staring at him and willing him to understand. 

“Well, I’m not going without you” he shakes his head firmly, refusing to move.

“Rhea’s already lost, the positron cannon is ready to fire, and you’re safe. Your mother deserves to surrender gracefully” 

“Please don’t do this,” he grabs her shoulders, and pulls her close, but Kara remains steadfast. “You’re not going to get through to her.”

“I have to try!” she exclaims, and she feels the frustration deep in her stomach. The unwavering support she has come to expect from Lena, and her sister, and even Cat, is lost here, in the moment where it should be happening. The person who is supposed to understand and cheer her on in all moments is standing in front of her, telling her she won’t succeed. 

_“Kara Danvers, you are my hero”_ she hears Lena’s voice, and she closes her eyes. 

“Please, as long as you’re safe” she whispers, opening her eyes slowly, only to find Mon-El staring at her. His eyes are kind, but they aren’t the endless hopeful green she’s come to crave.

She says the words out loud, but she’s talking about something else.

She says them out loud, but she means them for her.

He remains stoic, but there’s doubt in his actions. It isn’t the calm confidence of her surefire CEO.

He nods, and turns slowly, walking toward the portal.

She clicks the remote, and stares at the empty room. She’s thankful he goes, but part of her feels guilty for wishing he had put up more of a fight. It’s the one time he listens to her without truly undermining her, and she supposes it should be considered progress.

Then there’s Lena, who had to be tricked into leaving. There wouldn’t have been a way to convince her to go otherwise.

She sighs, her mind flipping between the two once again, before she resigns herself to process it later. She’s running out of time, and she needs to find Rhea.

* * *

They arrive at the Fortress of Solitude, and the chilled air hits her face harshly.

“What did you do, Mother?” Lena asks frantically, looking back at the portal, realizing Supergirl and Mon-El are no longer behind them.

“Humans only, dear,” she looks at her quickly, then looks away in order to punch a number into her phone. “Disable the projector!” she nods at Henshaw as she raises the phone to her ear.

Lena hears her talking to Agent Danvers -- Alex -- and her heart sinks. She hears her mother say they’re all safe, that the ship is clear, but it’s not true.

Supergirl is still on the ship.

She’s not safe, and Lena can tell something awful is about to happen.

“Turn it back on, Mother!” Lena yells, racing over to Lillian’s side, feeling like a scared child all over again. It always seems to be the same when the two of them are together, and this time is no different. The warmth she felt when she saw her mother had come to rescue her is quickly being replaced by the frosty chill in the air, as cold and harsh as their relationship.

For a second, she thought her mother actually cared. It’s amazing how Lillian still has the same effect on her, even when she expects this type of action.  

“I came for you, not them” Lillian chides, and Lena can’t believe another Luthor has sabotaged a Super’s efforts.

“Supergirl helped you! How could you betray her?” Lena’s voice cracks, as she thinks of the blonde hero, trapped on the ship, the way she herself had been just moments before.

She can still feel the warmth of her embrace, and the way her voice sounded so comforting, so familiar, so strong around the word _“Always”._

“I put everything on the line to save you from _them_!” Lillian jeers, “Supergirl and Mon-El are still aliens, and they’ll die with their own kind. I thought you’d finally see my side.”

Lena shakes her head in disbelief. 

Her mother still can’t seem to discern between Kryptonians and alien invaders, and Lena feels unsteady on her feet. Supergirl is _not_ the enemy, not with the way she fiercely protects Lena, not with the way she holds her tight, not with the way she constantly saves her. Why can’t her mother see that?

“Your stubborn pride still blinds you to the truth!” Lillian says, snarling at Lena, “How long until you realize they won’t hesitate to leave you behind? When will you see that if they had the choice, they would pick their own kind over you?” 

The sounds of static electricity disrupts the conversation, and Lillian glares back at Henshaw, who is struggling with the projector. She goes over to investigate, only to have a glitchy Henshaw grab her throat, flailing around and saying he is not in control of himself.

Before she knows it, Mon-El appears, stumbling out of the portal. 

There’s still no Supergirl in sight. 

“Where’s Supergirl?” Lena asks, frustrated that no one else seems to be panicking over the hero’s whereabouts.

She may be made of steel, but Daxamites are an equal enemy, and she’s severely outnumbered. Lena stares at the portal again, wondering what she could possibly hope to do if she jumped through it. 

“She isn’t coming” Mon-El says, running for the phone and dialing Alex. “Alex! Alex it’s Mon-El. Lena and I are fine, Winn’s device worked, but Supergirl stayed up there.”

“What do you mean she isn’t coming?” Lena races over to confront him, her eyes flashing with anger. “How could you leave her up there?”

“She told me to leave. She wants another chance to talk to Rhea, and she wants both of us to be safe while she does it” he says, as if it’s perfectly acceptable. 

Lena swears she sees red, and it isn’t from her dress.

_Lena thinks back to one of the few times Kara came to her office seeking comfort instead of seeking to comfort. It’s after a particularly nasty argument with Mike -- before he was Mon-El -- and Lena can’t believe the words she is hearing Kara say._

_“Is everything okay?” Lena can tell the moment she walks in just by her demeanor that Kara isn’t herself._

_“Yeah, of course….” she begins, then her eyes trail along the floor. “Okay, not really…”_

_Lena puts everything down and encourages her to continue. Kara tells her, in vague uncertain terms, about Mike, and all of his deceit, all of his comments. She mentions the way he cuts her down._

_Lena isn’t sure what exactly he lies about, but Kara is quick to gloss over details._

_“I know I expect a lot from him,” Kara says, adjusting her glasses and sighing, “I just know he’s better than he’s acting.”_

_Lena feels instantly defensive._

_“You aren’t asking for anything, Kara,” Lena assures her, “You deserve to be treated with respect. That’s just...common decency. There’s no need for an argument to ever get personal like that.”_

_“It’s like he doesn’t trust me, or respect my decisions sometimes. Like he thinks he knows better, so he defies me at every turn. It can be….”_

_“Exhausting?” Lena offers._

_Kara nods slowly, exhaling in relief. “Yeah” she says, her voice small and embarrassed._

_Lena wonders if she’s allowed herself to admit any of this out loud. It doesn’t seem like she’s given herself the chance to be honest._

_That’s Kara. Always caring about everyone else first._

_“You don’t owe him anything, you know” Lena explains cautiously, “I know I don’t know him, but if you’re with him, I’m sure he’s a good guy. That being said, it doesn’t mean he gets to take advantage of your kindness.”_

_Kara looks at her thoughtfully, and Lena isn’t sure she’s saying the right thing, or the useful thing, but she’s trying so hard to help._

_“He doesn’t always, sometimes he can be really wonderful,” Kara says, and it sounds like she’s convincing herself more than Lena. “But it’s hard when you feel like you’re always doing something wrong, or saying the wrong thing. I don’t mean to, but somehow, I do. I’m pushy, and I boss him around.”_

_“Somehow, I doubt that. You aren’t doing anything wrong, and you certainly aren’t approaching it from a place of malice,” Lena says, “Your heart is in the right place, and he should know that. But it sounds like you’re focused so much on his feelings and less on your own. No one is ever allowed to dictate how you feel but yourself. He can disagree, but you’re entitled to your own reactions. That doesn’t make you a bad person, Kara.”_

_She already isn’t the biggest fan of Mike for her own selfish reasons, but this isn’t doing anything to help his case._

_Kara sighs and stares out the window, lost in thought for a few moments._

_“I can always have him inconspicuously relocated, you know” Lena raises her eyebrow in commiseration, “I am a Luthor, after all.”_

_Kara giggles, and shakes her head._

_“I’ll let you know,” she grins, “Thanks Lena.”_

_“What are friends for?” she smirks, and Kara beams back at her with restored optimism._

Lena glares at him, the anger threatening to consume her fully any minute.

“We can’t just leave her!” Lena yells, and his incompetence is staggering.

“If we don’t, she’ll be too focused on saving us to have a shot at beating Rhea. We need to stay here. Please, Lena...” he begs, his hands outstretched trying to prevent her from coming closer.

“You should be the one up there,” Lena spits, furiously, “It’s your mother’s reign of terror, after all.”

She knows it’s a snarky comment, but she can’t help it. She stares pointedly at her own mother, and feels more rage boiling over. She wants to scream. She stares at the portal, as if willing the Kryptonian to magically appear.

Supergirl had watched her leave, without so much as a glance back in her direction.

After all she went through, Lena hadn’t even said thank you.

More than ever, she wishes she could have stayed behind. 

She thinks about Kara, and how disappointed she would be.

* * *

The sun streams in softly through the window pane, bathing the room in it’s endless warmth, shrouding her in a loving embrace. Kara sighs, stretching her limbs lightly, leaning toward the source of the radiance, the brightness dancing behind her eyes. She squints them shut, keeping them closed at least for a little while longer, savoring a moment that she feels might end too soon if she moves too fast. She can feel the soft, glowing rays wrap themselves around her body. She can feel them caress along her cheek. She hears them whisper in her ear, _Kara, darling, I love you. I love you. I love you…._

Her eyes flutter open, and her heart beats heavy and strong in her chest. It isn’t the sun calling her name. 

_It’s Lena._

The dark haired fallen angel is staring at her gently, her green eyes pale in the afterglow of the morning. A soft pouty smile plays over her lips as she watches Kara’s face reflect the same smile back at her. Kara inches closer, nuzzling her face in the crook of Lena’s neck and wrapping her arms around her chest, pulling her in tightly. She has felt so far away for so long, and Kara can’t stand the idea of anymore separation. Her fingers fold into the fabric of Lena’s shirt, and she tugs, whimpering slightly as she does. 

“Let’s just stay here a little while longer, okay?” she says, her voice raspy with sleep and the fatigue of too many stressful days. Too many days fighting, too many days anxiously worrying about Lena, her Lena, trapped on the Daxamite ship in the sky.

“For how long?” Lena’s voice vibrates against her ear, and fills Kara with all the hope she feels has been missing from her life since her best friend was taken. Lena’s eyes are bright with mischief, like she can’t think of a better place she’d rather be. She rubs her forehead with the back of her hand, her eyes adjusting to the light slowly. 

Kara sighs, allowing the contentment to wash over her.

“‘Til tomorrow” she says, and she grins, listening to Lena’s short, soft laugh in response. 

“Okay, woman of tomorrow” Lena hums in agreement, and she kisses Kara’s forehead, sending small waves of warmth rolling through her body. Lena’s eyes flutter closed, and her face is calm and relaxed. Kara’s breath hitches in her throat, the sight too much for her to take in all at once.

She hears the murmur of Lena’s heart, the heartbeat she can hear above all else, and she smiles against her body, breathing in the scent of _home_. When all the noise in the city is too much, this is the heartbeat she seeks out. 

It shouldn’t be hers, but it is.

She shouldn’t even be here, but she is.

Kara feels a clawing in the back of her mind that this seems out of place, and blurry around the edges, but she ignores it. This isn’t the time for doubt. This is the only thing that matters, and it’s here. She begs herself to let it be.

She repositions herself so she’s hovering just slightly over top of Lena’s face, and she kisses over her cheek, and down along her jaw, and over her mouth, covering every inch of her perfect face with her lips. 

Lena scrunches her nose and laughs, and Kara laughs back, before burrowing back against her side, pulling her in even closer. 

She sighs, and tries to think of a time she’s ever been happier.

“You always wear this,” Lena’s voice echoes into her thoughts, her fingers tenderly reaching for the jewelry around Kara’s neck, “It’s beautiful.”

“It was my mother’s,” Kara says, staring at the necklace currently interlocked in Lena’s hands, “She gave it to me on the day I left Krypton. I had just watched little Kal-el launch into space. Our world was falling apart around her, and even in the middle of that, she looked at me and smiled and told me as long as I had it, I’d never be alone. She’d be with me in my dreams.”

The memories of Krypton, and the final moments with her mother come flooding back. She sees the planet crumbling before her, and her mother’s steadfast, strong, beautiful smile fading away, smaller and smaller, until there is nothing left but the stars.

She feels like she has told Lena this story before, but she knows it’s only another time, lost in her fantasies. Lena doesn’t know the truth, not really, but Kara feels it come out so easily, so naturally, that she must know.

She doesn’t react in shock, or shrink away in fear. She’s anchored, and snug against Kara, and she holds her like it means something.

“That’s where you keep me, too,” Lena says, her tone holding a sadness that hits Kara hard in the stomach. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

Everything feels _right_ \- being in Lena’s arms, feeling her lips ghost against her cheek, listening to her voice, but Kara feels a distance growing steadily between them, and she can’t understand why.

“I know we can’t stay all day, but let’s just stay a little while longer, please” Kara whispers, begging against Lena’s skin for just one more minute of peace. One more minute, snuggled away from the world, just the two of them.

“Kara, you’re not really here…” Lena’s says, “you’re in the fortress, love. Wake up, wake up…..”

She gasps for air, and sputters awake, the violent chill in the air enough to rattle even her Kryptonian senses. She stares around, wide-eyed, trying to get her bearings.

She’s in the fortress of solitude, and Lena is nowhere to be found.

And she _aches._ Oh Rao, does she ache.

It feels like she got into a fight with…

“Superman?” she asks, sitting up abruptly, only to be immediately tended to by Alex. Kal is lying on a matching slab of ice, equally as unconscious as she must have been a few moments ago. 

“You’re okay, you’re okay, I’ve got you,” Alex says, wrapping Kara in her arms. “You’re safe.”

The fight with Kal comes rushing back, and Kara shudders at the thought. She hears her cousin stirring, and she braces herself against Alex, preparing for another round, but praying desperately for a reprieve.

“Kara?” he asks, cautiously, which sends a wave of relief over her limbs. Kal recognizes her. He’s back. Thank Rao. She rushes to his side and wraps him in a hug. 

Before she can even process anything else, she whips around and faces her sister.

“Where is Lena?” Kara demands, “Is she safe?”

Alex nods slowly, and the group huddles together to formulate a plan.

Back at the DEO, Kara takes out her phone.

_“Kara? It’s Lena...I was just calling...I just thought…”_ there’s a long pause, and Lena sighs on the other end, _“Could you call me back? I just...I need to talk to you.”_

Kara’s heart hammers in her chest as she listens to the voice on the other end. She immediately calls her back. 

“Kara?”

“Lena!”

“Where are you?” she asks, and her voice is coarse, like she’s trying to keep her composure. Kara knows she should explain, but she can’t find the words.

_I promised I’d always protect you._

_I promise you I am._

“I’m… It’s been.. It’s been a little crazy, I’m so sorry,” Kara rushes through her words, trying to tread lightly, and failing miserably. She’s trying frantically to scoot around corners and dodge the others long enough to just assure herself that Lena is truly okay. The shooting outside blasts through the silence, and there’s yelling all around her, which masks the trepidation in her own voice. She’s thankful there’s a cover for her unexplained absence. “Are you okay?”

“I...am. I am now. I’m safe,” Lena sounds unsure, but her false confidence rings through, as it often does when she is holding on to too many unspoken feelings. “You sent me Supergirl.."

“Oh, Thank Rao,” Kara replies. She feels the relief wash over her. She knows Lena is safe, she helped rescue her, after all, but there’s something about hearing the words as _Kara_ that makes it different. “Of course I did. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’ve been worried about you,” Lena confesses, laughing lightly at her own admission, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, I promise,” Kara says, quickly dodging a falling metal beam, “Lena, I’m sorry, I have to run, but I’ll call you soon. Please stay safe.”

“I will...please do the same, Kara.”

The way Lena says her name makes Kara’s heart skip a beat.

She closes her eyes and pictures her face and tries so hard to keep it together.

* * *

Lena stares at the ground in disgust, the red wedding gown thrown in a crumpled heap by her couch. She couldn’t bring herself to go to her apartment, choosing instead to hole up in the only place she feels she has any control.

Her office.

The scotch burns her throat as she swallows, and she begins to lose count of how many glasses she’s really consumed. She walks lifelessly back and forth, refilling, staring, sipping, and repeating. Her mind is hazy and numb. 

There’s destruction outside, and war ships hovering, and Lena feels hopeless and alone.

She stares at her chess pieces with rage, a reminder of everything her family stands for: manipulation, power, dominance. She knocks them over in fit of frustration, but only enough to scatter them, never enough to break it.

Even at her angriest, she’s too gentle to hurt anything.

The thought makes her even more furious, as she feels her list of weaknesses growing by the minute.

She closes her eyes, but she’s reminded of another time she was overly cautious, and gentle, and it almost makes her smile.

_“Just tell me if I pull too tight, alright?” Lena says quietly, picking through the strands of Kara’s golden hair splayed out across her back. Her fingers are working meticulously, very practiced in tinkering with fine tools and small spaces, but dexterous enough to make perfect plaited braids._

_They’re at Kara’s house watching movies, a routine that Lena can’t remember the start of, only that she never wants to be without it again._

_She finally has a friend._

_Finally has someone to connect to._

_Finally has some semblance of a home._

_“Trust me, you won’t be any worse than Alex, I swear, she yanks most of it out when she braids my hair” Kara giggles, and Lena smiles at the thought. The elder Danvers certainly has more of a heavy hand, and she could see how Kara’s gun toting sister would be rough on the hairline._

_Lena’s hands continue to work through her hair, and Kara hums contentedly. It might be Lena’s favorite sound, although Kara’s laugh is a close second._

_“I think you might be the most gentle person I know” Kara says after a while, and her voice is laced with sincerity._

_Lena pauses, turning the words over in her mind._

_She’s been called a lot of things in her life, but gentle has never been one of them. For a second, she’s almost insulted, as it seems to imply a weakness in her character. Luthors are not known for being gentle. They’re strong, brave, calculated. They’re meticulous and cunning. They aren’t soft._

_“Oh?” she asks, curious to hear the explanation behind this comment, but she braces for inevitable disappointment._

_“Don’t get me wrong, you’re intimidating when you want to be, and you’re braver than just about anyone. You’re also probably the smartest person in all of National City,” Kara says, adjusting her glasses nervously, “but your heart is gentle. You have a kindness to you that goes deeper than your personality. You care so much, Lena. I can’t explain it, really, but I feel it. Some people are just ….good.”_

_Lena recognizes her own words, twisted this time to fit Kara’s opinion of her. She feels the warmth spread across her cheeks. No one has ever told her she’s good before. No one has ever made her feel so validated in her entire life._

_“Thank you, Kara.” she whispers, feeling a single tear escape her eye._

“That chess board has been in the Luthor family for generations” Lillian’s voice breaks her reverie, as she strolls in the open office doors uninvited.

Lena’s peaceful moment is shattered, and she’s back to crushing reality. She inhales sharply.

“Did you come here to yell at me for not treating the family heirlooms with respect, or to blame me for what’s happening outside?” Lena stalks off the couch and to the decanter with ease, pointing out the window in disgust.

She’s blaming herself enough for the both of them, but venting about it feels good, too.

“How could you let that woman deceive you? I taught you to be a scientist, to question everything” Lillian criticizes, and the words twist the knife in her gut.

“No, what you taught me was to doubt myself, to look for validation elsewhere...so much so that I was willing to take it from the first mentor that offered it to me.” Lena spits, and she feels ashamed for allowing it to happen, but even more so, she feels bitter at her mother for treating her as less than.

Less than Lex.

Less than a Luthor.

Less than a daughter.

“I’m sorry” Lillian says, her eyes downcast with regret. 

Lena scoffs, and stares into her drink. If she knew any better, she’d almost believe her.

Almost.

“I am, Lena,” Lillian sits quietly next to her and continues, “When you came to visit me in jail, I honestly wanted to be a better mother to you. But every time I’ve had to the opportunity to choose you over something else, I’ve chosen something else.” her tone is one laced with regret, but Lena won’t be fooled, not again.

Not this time.

“Well, congratulations on saying the first honest thing in your life” she says, as she raises her glass slowly, refusing to look her mother in the eye. 

Lillian pushes on.

“The transmat portal you created was brilliant, Lena,” she says, “and if you could do that, maybe you could do something with this” she takes the metal box out from under the table and presents it on the coffee table.

Lena eyes it curiously, recognizing it from Lex’s vault. Lillian explains it’s the device rendered to kill Superman, but if Lena could adapt it, she would end the Daxamite threat once and for all. 

“Maybe I backed the wrong child to stop this,” Lillian says wistfully, a last-ditch attempt to secure Lena’s buy in, “But if you could do something with this, _you_ would be the Luthor who saved the world.”

She stares at it again, the wheels in her mind turning over what it might mean.

She isn’t interested in glory, or fame.

She just wants peace, and a chance to prove herself. To prove she’s just as good as Lex.

_“Kara Danvers believes in you."_

She feels it, and she stares at her toppled chess pieces. She studies the white knight, the one piece that remains standing amongst the ruins.

“I’ll study it, on one condition,” Lena says, her lips twisted in thought, “You call Supergirl, and you tell her what we’re doing. I won’t do it without her.”

Lillian’s eyes narrow, but she yields her consent.

Several hours later, familiar boots land on the balcony, and without looking, Lena can feel the telltale soft footfall next to his heavier, sharper landing. 

Supergirl.

And, interestingly, Superman has joined her.

She gracefully exits her balcony door, with Lillian at her heels.

The Supers approach cautiously, practically glowing with otherworldly heroism and Kryptonian warmth. They walk like gods, and Lena finds it interesting how she can never quite get used to the red caped wonders, no matter how many times she and Supergirl have worked together.

There’s a strange tension hanging over the group, and Lena attributes it to her mother’s presence, and Superman’s uneasiness around all things Luthor. Supergirl, however, doesn’t look particularly comfortable, and when their eyes meet, there’s a small flicker of fear in her face. It makes Lena’s stomach flip.

“Of course the two of you would make an entrance” Lillian rolls her eyes, hands in her pockets, as she studies the two Kryptonians with disgust.

“Unfortunately, this is her on her best behavior” Lena nods in her direction, a small attempt to break the ice, but the two aliens only look at her with blank expressions.

“So what did you want?” Supergirl asks, her arms crossed defiantly, as she glances at Lillian. Her eyes seem to purposely avoid Lena, and the younger Luthor can’t help but feel hurt by the callous reception.

“My daughter has a way to save us” Lillian says simply, and she turns to lead the group inside.

Lena explains the device Lex invented, and how it would have made the planet uninhabitable for all Kryptonians. 

Supergirl interrupts her.

“Well, lucky my cousin put him in jail before he could make it work” she says pointedly, and her words sting unnecessarily. 

Lena supposes she deserves the freeze. She isn’t entirely innocent, after all. In fact, she is just as guilty as Lillian, if she wants to be technical about it. She’s the reason this is happening, and she left Supergirl alone on the ship just as much as anyone else. She doesn’t swipe back at her. She bites her words and takes it.

“And lucky for you, I found it” Lillian snarls, staring down Supergirl with distaste.

“I’ve been studying it, and I think I can convert it to irradiate the atmosphere with lead, rather than Kryptonite--” Lena starts.

“Just a trace amount, harmless to humans. But, the atmosphere would become toxic to Daxamites. The aliens would be forced to leave, or stay and die” Lillian finishes.

“All of them?” Kal asks, searching hopefully for a suitable response.

Lillian nods.

“And they could never return,” Lena says quietly, “Even Rhea’s son.”

Supergirl looks at Superman quickly. 

“Mon-El would have to leave Earth” she says quickly, her breath hushed as she exhales. 

Something in her tone shifts, and Lena can’t pick up on what she’s feeling.

“Did you know he was dating Kara Danvers?” she snarls, her eyes narrowing at Supergirl. It’s a warning, as much as a threat, and she means it with every fiber of her being. She feels irrationally upset, like the two of them are going behind her best friend’s back, but both for very different reasons. 

She doesn’t know Supergirl’s relationship with Mon-El, or how much Kara has told her about her boyfriend, but it’s all too close for comfort. Her mind can’t help but toil over the awkward moments in the ship, and the final moment before they were rescued. Supergirl and Mon-El exchanged several intimate looks that Lena caught as she went to talk to Lillian. It seemed strangely personal, and she can’t justify a reason for any of it, especially not right now. Perhaps Supergirl hadn’t been aware of Mon-El’s dating status. Perhaps he didn’t _make_ her aware. 

His status in her mind has been lowering exponentially as it is. This would be the cherry on top of an already bottomless sundae of reasons why Mon-El is not good enough for Kara Danvers.

She’s also wrestling with the complicated, newly formed jealousy that has been rearing it’s ugly head ever since Kara mentioned Mon-El’s tendency towards disrespect. Lena thinks it might be easier to swallow her feelings if Kara was dating someone worthy of her time, but this situation is an insult to her own intelligence. She knows she falls short in so many ways of being someone Kara deserves, but she has to believe she’s at least a step above Mon-El. She blames Supergirl, too, while she’s at it, because both of them have failed as friends if they managed to allow this relationship to go on without any sort of intervention.

Lena clenches her jaw and tries to focus. Still, despite her own conflicted feelings, he’s someone Kara loves, and Lena hates that they’re deciding Mon-El’s fate without Kara’s input.

The two Supers stare at her curiously, and she watches Supergirl’s eyes flicker slightly to her mother. She glances back at Lena, her face startled and confused. If they weren’t on the brink of war, Lena is sure she would launch herself at Supergirl right that very minute. It’s absurd, and she isn’t sure what that would accomplish, but the protectiveness she feels over Kara makes her feel untethered and wild. 

She thinks back to the ship, and how she was disgusted enough with herself for almost being forced to marry the man Kara is dating, let alone potentially being responsible for his death. She wishes she could speak to Kara directly, but she knows there’s no time, with Rhea breathing down Supergirl’s neck and a duel only minutes away.

The wheels are turning, trying to piece everything together quickly, but they’re interrupted by more explosions, and the sounds of screaming. 

“Start working” Supergirl says confidently, and Lena clenches her jaw, burying her emotions and nodding stiffly. 

* * *

Kara’s back at the DEO but she can’t stop replaying the conversation with the Luthors over and over in her mind.

The encounter is awkward and tense, but Kara reasons it is because Lillian is not their friend, not their ally, and she only wants one thing -- to end the alien threat once and for all. She won’t be deterred from acting against them, if it means ending the invasion. She’s only concerned with preserving human lives. Kara is fairly confident that the only reason they were asked out there in the first place is because Lena had insisted.

Lena still isn’t going to turn her back on Kara.

Clark is always going to be standoffish, even with Lena, despite Kara’s insistence that she’s different. She knows Clark tolerates her because of their friendship, but he will never fully believe, considering his past with Lex. Kara gets it, and she deals with it. The part that lays unsettled in her stomach is the way Lena’s eyes scrutinized her at the end, like she’s beginning to put together all the missing pieces. 

She’s a genius, after all, and if she wants to analyze the facts, there’s nothing stopping her from figuring out Kara’s secret.

Kara thinks back to the moment on the ship, where she is staring at Mon-El, trying to process her thoughts, when Lena’s eye catches hers. Her eyebrow raises in question, as if wondering why Supergirl would be exchanging anything personal with Mon-El, and it dawns on her that Lena is upset with her. 

She thinks Supergirl is going behind Kara’s back. Kara almost smiles at this, because as much as Supergirl needs Lena’s unwavering support, it’s funny to see her reaction to a perceived injustice. 

The two of them have _so much_ to talk about when this is all said and done. 

Kara sighs. Suddenly, her phone rings.

“Supergirl, it’s Lena,” she says, and Kara’s heart is in her throat. It seems to be the default reaction ever since this entire invasion started, and she can’t seem to control it if she tried. “Can you meet me at L-Corp? I have something you need.”

“Yes, I’ll be right there” Kara says quickly, preparing to take off the very instant Lena asks.

“Can you come alone?” her voice is lowered, like she’s trying to avoid anyone overhearing. Kara detects the shift instantly. She hesitates, and looks around, but everyone seems preoccupied with other tasks.

“Yes” she says.

“Good. Wait for me to text you instructions”

_She thinks about all the times Lena has worked tirelessly around the clock to try to help her. The time she set up the gala, the time she thwarted the medusa virus, the time she wanted to jump in front of Supergirl and protect her from Lillian and Metallo. She remembers all the resources and hours she dedicated to finding the missing aliens, and how she discovered the Cadmus headquarters in an abandoned Luthor Corp facility, only to be unceremoniously thrown from her own office balcony. Kara may have intervened to assist, but Lena has always been on her side._

_It seems only fitting that as the world crumbles down around them, Lena Luthor is the one to offer the key to save humanity._

_All Kara can hear in her head is Lena’s voice, over and over again telling her “I’ve never had friends like you before”_

_Kara knows she’s never had one like Lena._

She arrives quietly at a discrete area of L-Corp, one she hasn’t been to before, far away from the CEO’s office. She follows Lena’s directions and finds a secluded lab in the underbelly of the building. Lena is careful to place them out of earshot of everyone else, including Lillian.

“You’ll have the remote, and it will only work if you press it,” Lena explains carefully, pointing to the button. “It won’t work for anyone else.”

Kara stares at her, locking their eyes together. 

She feels like Lena can see through everything. See _her_. 

There’s hurt in her eyes, and Kara knows it’s for her. She can tell Lena doesn’t want it to come to this. She doesn’t want to cause pain.

“I’m going to have to tell Kara,” Lena says, her jaw clenched in that way she has when she’s standing up for something she believes in. “She has a right to know.”

Kara’s heart swells, watching Lena’s loyalty in the 11th hour when her friend thinks she isn’t there to defend herself. It’s the second time in so many days that Lena has stood up for her, and it’s against a superhero, no less. Kara finds herself more enamored by her brilliant best friend than ever before.

It isn’t that she doubts Lena’s devotion, or doubts the trust they’d built, because her actions have always proved she’s on Kara’s side. But seeing the way she defends her when she’s completely unprovoked just proves Lena’s heart is as pure as Kara always says it is.

She wishes she could tell her she knows. She wishes she could tell her she doesn’t blame her, won’t blame her, if that’s what it comes down to. How could she?

But it isn’t the time, and it can’t happen now. 

Lillian’s words echo in her mind.

_“She’ll figure it out, and when she does, she’ll hate you for it”_

The thought of Lena hating her is more painful than the thought of pressing this button.

It’s ironic, the way she’s sitting here gushing over Lena’s trust and loyalty, when she’s lying to her face about something so important.

Kara swallows the thought and merely nods. She looks at the ground, uncomfortably, then back to where Lena’s stare is fixed on her. Her green eyes start boring into the crest of the house of El on her chest, like she’s desperately searching for the words Kara refuses to say. Her eyes flicker back to Kara’s, her head tilted in thought, as if she wants to say something more. Kara holds her gaze for a few moments, getting lost in her own insecurity, before realizing Lena is waiting for her to take the remote. 

Her eyes narrow slowly.

“Don’t you trust me?” Lena asks, and she begins to pull it away, the doubt etched across her face. Her shoulders begin to slump with guilt.

Kara reaches and grabs her hand with only enough intensity to show her she’s sincere.

“I trust you with my life” Kara says, taking the remote in her hand, and squeezing Lena’s in her own. 

Lena nods solemnly, satisfied with the response.

It’s a testament to their bond, as Kara accepts a weapon that for all she knows, could kill her off just as easily as the Daxamites. 

The thought never even crosses her mind, as the detonator passes from Luthor to Super. 

“Good luck, Supergirl” Lena whispers, alone in the lab, after Kara takes off into the sky.

It isn’t loud, or grand, or over the top, but Kara hears her anyway.

She hears everything else Lena doesn’t say.

* * *

A familiar face strolls into her office as the chaos swirls around the outside. Winn Schott comes in smiling, carrying goggles and supplies, ready to assist.

“I know you,” Lena says, her eyebrows furrowed in thought, “You helped me at the gala. You’re Kara’s best friend.” 

“Winn Schott” he extends his hand with a grin, “Nice to formally meet you. Although, I think _you’re_ actually Kara’s best friend, I’m merely second in command.”

He says it with such sincerity that Lena feels like her heart might burst. 

“Did the DEO send you?” Lena asks, and Winn’s face freezes momentarily. He glances from her, to Lillian, and back, his mouth agape.

“The Luthors have known about the DEO for years,” Lillian rolls her eyes at the scene in front of her, “Try to keep up, Mr. Schott”

An explosion outside forces debris to fall in the middle of the room and Winn leaps in surprise. Lena remains calm and stoic, as she reaches for Lex’s weapon and places it on top of her desk.

She explains the origin and how they need to adapt it, and Winn eyes it curiously.

“Ready?” she looks at him expectantly. He nods eagerly and puts on his goggles.

They get to work quickly, as the lights flicker, and the building quakes under the stress of the terror outside. Lena reaches out for a tool she can’t recall the name of, all the tension cluttering her brain, but Winn picks up on her request and hands it to her without flinching.

“Thank you, Winn” she says kindly, focusing on keeping her hands steady and controlled.

“I’m pretty good in a crisis” he says happily, before another explosion rocks the building, forcing him to jump back in surprise.

Lillian scoffs.

Lena ignores everyone, forcing her brain to laser in on the components of the machine. She barely hears any of the noise outside. As far as she is concerned she’s in her lab, far away from any danger. She secures the final piece and raises her hands away from the equipment.

“It’s done” she says calmly, her heart beginning to thump wildly with the realization that she might have done it.

Lillian flies in quickly with every intention to grab it. 

“Turn it on, we can end this!” she declares, walking toward the desk, ready to take hold of the weapon herself.

“Hey, you can’t do that!” Winn calls, shielding the device from Lillian’s prying hands. She spins out of his grip quickly, pushing him aside and grabbing the weapon as she turns her back.

She pushes the detonator and waits.

Nothing.

She turns and glares at Lena.

“You said it worked” she accuses, and Lena can’t help but smile at the doubt Lillian still manages to shove at her.

“Oh it does, I just gave Supergirl the remote,” Lena grins, delighting in Lillian’s disappointment. She’s proud of herself for managing to remain a step ahead when it matters the most. “Only she can turn it on.”

Lillian sighs, placing the weapon back on the desk, her lips pursed tightly.

All they can do now is wait.

Lena doesn’t want to hear the generator get turned on, because she knows what it will mean. She wants Supergirl to end Rhea herself, win the duel, be the champion of Earth that she knows the hero is.

She wants her own efforts to be fruitless -- a needless back up plan that never needs to be mentioned. She’s fine with that, if it means Kara’s heart doesn’t get broken.

She isn’t sure how much time passes, but too quickly, the generator roars to life. Lena thinks it must be a mistake, but she knows, deep down, it’s not.

Supergirl needed it, and she made the choice. 

The lead is pumped into the air, and Lena can only watch.

It’s a success, and she feels the air leave her own lungs, but not in a reaction to the weapon. It’s a reaction to everything else in her world ending, so the Earth can continue on.

_“If you weren’t working at L-Corp, what do you think you’d choose to do?” Kara asks one day, nonchalantly in between bites of potstickers. They’re in Lena’s office, during one of their usual afternoon lunch dates. Kara has just shown her another article, this time praising Lena and L-Corp for their fundraising efforts for the Children’s Hospital._

_Lena pauses, and shakes her head. No one has ever asked her that before. L-Corp has always been the plan, even in the days when she had her start up company with Jack._

_“I suppose I would join the Peace Corps, or work for a non-profit, trying to help those in need more directly,” Lena taps her chin thoughtfully, “Maybe I would teach….” she shrugs, and smiles._

_“Why? What would you be doing if you weren’t Kara Danvers, CatCo’s star reporter?” she arches her eyebrow playfully, and stares at Kara with a grin._

_“Oh, I’d still be a reporter,” Kara says softly, “And it sounds like I’d still be writing amazing stories about Lena Luthor.”_

_“You flatter me” Lena blushes, shaking her head at the way Kara’s words are so sincere. She doesn’t know why Kara holds her in such high regard, and she doesn’t have the heart to tell her she shouldn’t._

Lena stares out the window, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. She hadn’t wanted this to happen. She prayed Supergirl wouldn’t have to do it. 

“You did it, Lena!” Winn exclaims, wrapping her in a quick hug, “You saved us!”

She winces. Winn backs away quickly, running his hand awkwardly through his hair. He stares out the window, and back at Lena, and even though she remains focused outside, she can feel his eyes on her.

“You love her” he says gently, following her gaze out the window. Lena can’t move, can’t think, can’t do anything but look out over the city in disbelief, listening to the the sudden quiet of a post-war calm.

There’s a long silence, before Lena looks down and clears her throat.

“Which one?” she asks, exhaling a small laugh, and in the moment, she isn’t sure there’s a difference anymore.

“Both of them,” Winn shrugs, unaffected by the implications of this conversation. 

He seems to understand more than he lets on, but he’s patient in the moment. 

Lena is grateful.

She’s too tired to explain, and too tired to deny.

She wonders how they will ever carry on from this.

She nods slowly, and glances over at him, a sad smile on her tired face.

“It would appear so.”

**Author's Note:**

> @stennnn06 on tumblr.... I'll just be there loving the Luthor that saved the world....


End file.
